Who won, who lost: Where was Rick Perry?

A friend – yes, a friend – described Rick Perry in previous debates as a “tired puppy,” so the question of the night in New Hampshire was whether the puppy would be unleashed, whether he’d come out barking, growling and wagging his tail.

The debaters were sitting down instead of standing, the topic was the economy (not foreign policy), and Perry reportedly had been practicing, not only sharpening his debate demeanor but also anticipating questions, zingers and stingers from his fellow candidates.

All the pre-debate commentators, bloviators and pundits agreed that the governor had to show his Kibbles, or he’d soon be headed back to a Texas doghouse, not the White House. He didn’t.

For the first 40 minutes of the debate, Perry resembled a teenager listening to adult conversation at the far end of the dinner table, trying to follow what was going on, trying to get in a word edgewise. That word was energy the first three times he spoke.

Although he did a little better toward the end, he did little to assure voters that he could think on his feet or deal with intricate detail.

Maybe he shouldn’t have said, “Mitt’s had six years to be working on a plan. I’ve been in this about eight weeks,” alluding to their competing economic plans.

Winners

Mitt Romney

Much of the time, the former Massachusetts governor resembles a basketball team sitting on a lead. He’s not flashy and doesn’t take chances, but he comes across as experienced, well informed and presidential. He easily parried questions from his rivals at the table.

Herman Cain

The former pizza magnate may be no more comfortable with policy details than Perry, but his forceful delivery and relaxed demeanor command attention. His fellow Americans will be hearing 9-9-9 reverberate through the heads long after Cain has gone back to the talk show/lecture circuit world.

The format

Candidates sitting around a table was a much less stilted format than having then stand behind podiums. In addition, the questioners – Charlie Rose, Julia Goodman and Karen Tumulty – were superb. They asked provocative questions and were well informed enough to keep after the candidates when they tried to escape with generalities. For the most part, the candidates also handled the questions well.

“I think it’s a catchy phrase. In fact, I thought it was the price of a pizza when I first heard it.”

-Jon Huntsman,on Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 slogan

“Simple answers are always very helpful but oftentimes inadequate.”

-Mitt Romney, responding to a question from Herman Cain about whether his 59-point economic plan was as simple to understand as 9-9-9.

Strangest lines

“When you take the 9-9-9 plan and turn it upside down, the devil is in the details.”

-Michele Bachmann, on Herman Cain’s tax plan

Best bete noires

Usually Fed Chairman Ben Benanke is the Democrat the GOP candidates love to hate, but tonight he shared that honor with former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd and current Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, co-authors of banking regulation legislation the candidates usually shorthand as Dodd-Frank. In fact, the two Democrats might be advised to contact their local bail bondsman. Newt Gingrich wants to toss them in the pokey.

Best subliminal ad

In an answer about bringing jobs back to America, Perry slurred past Farouk Shami, the Houston hair products magnate who challenged Bill White in the Democratic primary last year and ended up endorsing Perry for governor. Shami closed down one of his Chi factories in China and brought it back to America.

Mystery man

Rich Lowrie

Herman Cain says his 9-9-9 plan is the product of extensive testing and research, but the only “economist” he cited as involved in its development – Rich Lowrie of Cleveland, Ohio – is a Wells Fargo wealth manager, not a trained economist. He also served on the advisory board of the conservative third-party group Americans for Prosperity. He holds an accounting degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. It sounded like Cain said he was from Cleveland, Texas, but he’s actually from Ohio.